


Sparring Practice

by MsEllieJane



Series: Switch AU [1]
Category: Star Trek: Discovery
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, Light Dom/sub, Praise Kink, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-14
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-09-30 07:38:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17219711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsEllieJane/pseuds/MsEllieJane
Summary: Tired of seeing her friends pining for each other but doing nothing about it, Philippa hatches the perfect scheme to help Katrina and Gabriel work out their feelings on the sparring mat.





	Sparring Practice

**Author's Note:**

  * For [IceCream_Junkie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/IceCream_Junkie/gifts).



> This is a gift exchange fill for [IceCream Junkie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/IceCream_Junkie/pseuds/IceCream_Junkie) in response to a prompt asking for Academy shenanigans in which Katrina and Gabriel are clueless about their feelings for each other until their friends decide to intervene. This story also somehow turned into a prequel for [Switch](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16298411/chapters/38119637).
> 
> Endless thanks to the amazing and talented [R_S_B](https://archiveofourown.org/users/R_S_B/) for being an amazing beta reader!!

Gabriel slid into his usual seat at his usual table in the mess hall, and was greeted by the sight of Katrina with her head down, resting on a stack of padds and scattered notes.

“Another all nighter?” he asked, smiling at the bleary eyed look on her face as she raised her head to greet him.

“I had a paper to finish and a midterm to study for,” she admitted sheepishly. “I know sleep deprivation is not my friend, but I’m not going to keep my grades up otherwise.”

“Your grades are already up, Kat,” said Philippa, who sat down and placed a large mug of coffee in front of her friend. “You’ve had perfect marks across the board for the past three semesters and you’re on track to continue your streak. You can afford to relax a little.”

“Ah, but you are forgetting I was raised by two perfectionists who instilled grade-obsessed tendencies in me from an early age.” She took a long sip of coffee and sighed contentedly. “I recognize it isn't healthy, but it’s just who I am.”

“At least you’re aware of it, which is better than  _ some _ people,” Pippa said, casting a pointed glance at Gabriel.

“Hey, it’s not perfectionism if I’m really that good at everything,” he said with a shrug. Despite his ridiculous boasting, the cheeky grin he flashed at Kat charmed and Kat smiled back.

Upon seeing her two friends grinning at each other like hopeless idiots, Pippa had a simultaneously wonderful and terrible thought. She never thought of herself as a matchmaker, but she was sick of this silly pining and maybe if  they got a light shove in the right direction, they could move past the shy, flirty smiles. 

“Hey Kat, are you still having trouble with hand-to-hand combat training?” she asked, as nonchalantly as she could. The sudden look of anxiety on her friend’s face nearly dissuaded her of her plan, but her face remained impassive.

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Kat groaned, head flopping back onto the table. “My average really will be thrown off if I fail that class, and then I won’t meet the qualifications for the graduate program I’m trying to get into at Starfleet Medical. I still don’t see why psychiatrists need to learn close quarters combat, it seems unnecessary. And besides, my marksmanship scores are high!”

“It’s a standard requirement for all Starfleet Officers, even those in the medical field. Besides, you never know when you might have to subdue an unruly patient,” offered Gabriel. She scowled in response to his goofy expression. 

“I don’t think I would let a situation with a patient escalate to that point. Unless that patient was  _ you _ , in which case I would employ heavy sedatives.”

“You wound me, Kat,” he moaned, a look of mock pain on his face. It was all Philippa could do to stop herself from rolling her eyes at her friends. She decided it was time to intervene.

“Gabriel, didn’t you get a perfect score on your last hand-to-hand combat exercise?” She kept a neutral look on her face, hoping they would both take the bait.

“I did, though I didn’t make a big deal about it, unlike  _ some _ of those present.”

“That’s absurd, just because I  _ care _ about my grades doesn’t mean I  _ brag _ about them!” Katrina retorted, and Philippa broke in to keep things from escalating.

“I was thinking that Gabriel could help you with combat training, maybe do some practice sessions to work on your technique. In exchange, you could tutor him in xenobiology.” She waited a few beats as they considered her idea, both temporarily speechless. Katrina was the first to respond and sounded uncharacteristically uncertain.

“I think that...might work. I mean, if you have time,” she stammered as she briefly looked up at Gabriel, then down at her notes. He suddenly seemed equally shy, which delighted Pippa.

“Yeah, I’d like that. Do you want to meet at the gym this evening? Maybe around 2030 hours?” 

“Ok. Yes. That works for me, and we can go over your xenobiology notes tomorrow at lunch.” 

“Sounds good, see you at the gym,” he said, avoiding eye contact with everyone as he hurriedly cleared his mostly uneaten lunch away. Katrina looked back down at her notes as he left and didn’t speak much for the rest of lunch. 

Phillippa maintained her composure but was inwardly cheering. Now her friends just had to take advantage of the opportunity. 

***

The gym wasn’t busy when Katrina met up with Gabriel and they quickly found an empty section of the mat for sparring practice. She had already warmed up by running from the other side of campus and was mildly self conscious of her sweaty, disheveled state. Gabriel thankfully didn’t seem to notice as he led her through a few exercises, practicing throwing punches and dodging attacks. 

“Your form is really good Kat, I’m impressed.” A particularly vigorous dodge threw her off balance, and he reached out a hand to help her up from the mat. She tried her best to ignore the tingles she felt when she grabbed it.

“My problem isn’t with my form, but thank you.” He smiled at that and she felt her body flush in a way that couldn’t be attributed to the exercise. “My biggest enemy is myself, my fight-or-flight instincts are permanently stuck on ‘freeze like a deer in the headlights’,” she explained derisively. “I can do the moves perfectly, but when confronted by an aggressor, even in a simulation, I get completely paralyzed.”

“Why do you think that is?”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “Normally I’m the one who asks that question.”

He barked a laugh then shrugged. “Just wondering. When dealing with a problem, I typically search for the cause and deal with that first.”

“I don’t know the cause, and believe me, I’ve spent a lot of time trying to find it. I’ve had no major traumas, no learned tendencies, I’m starting to think it could be genetic.”

“It needn’t be something so dramatic. And maybe you’re wrong about learned tendencies. You’ve spent your life chasing perfection, but have you ever dealt with failure head on?” 

Katrina silently pondered his question for a few moments and slowly shook her head.

“I’ve always avoided doing the things I know I’m bad at.”

“Maybe you need to stop avoiding them. You might not be perfect at this but you have the potential to be good at it, which is what counts when your life depends on it. I think what we need to do is repeat these combat maneuvers until you can do them without thinking. Once they become muscle memory, you won’t freeze up.”

“I guess that means we have keep practicing,” she said, getting into a fighting stance. 

“That’s exactly what it means,” he replied. He then grabbed two of the tiny anti-concussion force shield generators that were standard issue for sparring and handed one to Kat before affixing the other to the back of his neck. After activating the shield around his head, he raised his gloved hands to mirror her stance and took a step back.

“Let’s start with you attacking me first, I bet you’ve got some frustrations you’d like to take out on me, so here’s your chance.” It would have been a more straightforward instruction if he hadn’t wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, and she laughed to distract herself from the rising heat she told herself was from the exercise. 

Focusing on the task at hand, she lunged forward while throwing a punch, which he expertly blocked. She followed up with more blows, throwing her force into the punches and kicks. He dodged and blocked each strike easily, frustrating her more and more. Rationally, she knew it was reasonable and entirely expected, because he was really skilled at this, while she was just a beginner, but deep down her pride was hurt. He might have been trying to teach her to accept failure, but he had underestimated how stubborn she could be.

“Ok Kat, that’s enough for now, let me show you some blocking moves….ooof!” She had used his moment of distraction to land punch to his solar plexus. He might have been ready to call it  quits on the sparring but she certainly wasn’t.

“What’s wrong Gabe, have I worn you out already?” She danced out of his reach, ignoring the sweat dripping down her face.

“Not at all Kat,” he countered, shaking off the blow. “So far you’ve only landed one hit, and I haven't even been hitting back. Do you think you could handle some actual sparring?”

“Bring it!” she yelled, projecting confidence to hide her fear of freezing up. He looked conflicted at first, but then went ahead and threw a punch. She was shocked to see her arm move reflexively to parry the blow, then her other arm threw a counter-punch. She blocked and countered three more punches, but didn’t see a follow up kick coming and the force of it made her stumble backwards.

Adrenaline was surging through her and she had to stop for a moment to take some breaths. She knew her heart was racing from the exercise and not panic, but it felt strikingly similar. Gabriel watched her with a look of care and concern, which she wasn’t quite sure how to process.

“You ok, Kat? We can take a break if you want.”

“No, this is working, I need to you to help me do this.” He understood immediately and took his stance again. 

“Tell me when to stop, and we’ll stop immediately. Ok?” 

She nodded as she raised her fists, drawing a slow breath before striking out with a quick jab.They traded light, easily blocked strikes, and she became comfortable with the motions. When he landed a hit on her shoulder, she shrugged it off and kept moving. When a kick hit him on the shin, he stumbled slightly and grinned as he regained his footing.

“Nice!” he called out and she grinned back, feeling a surge of pride. “Again?” he asked, and she nodded.

He increased the force behind his punches, but she felt more comfortable blocking and dodging them now. She gave back just as much, savoring the soft thud as her gloved fist smacked into him.

She had moved in to strike when he took a step forward, throwing her off balance. She stumbled for a moment before he caught her shoulders, automatically trying to help her regain her footing. They halted for a breath and she couldn’t quite read the look on his face as they stared at each other in silence. 

“Um, thanks,” she said with an awkward smile. She stepped away from him, drawing in a breath to clear her mind. 

“It’s getting pretty late, do you want to continue tomorrow night?” He sounded as reluctant as she felt, but she didn’t quite have to nerve to do something as bold as Pippa, and invite him back to her dorm room. Instead she nodded her agreement and mumbled something about meeting at lunch to go over bio notes, while struggling to remove her sparring gloves. He moved closer, reaching out to help her remove the gloves and the brief look they shared left her biting her lip, wishing she could kiss him then and there. 

The chilly night air cooled some of the heat in her cheeks as she stepped outside, but did nothing for the tight heat building in her chest. She felt her lust radiating off of her with an intensity she’d never felt before and she found she rather liked it. It felt powerful and when it coursed through her veins,  _ she _ felt powerful. She’d dated in the past, had had a couple of long term boyfriends, and had been intimate with some of them, but she never had the overwhelming desire to drag any of them off to her bed the way she felt with Gabriel. There was a passion, an intensity there that she hadn’t experienced before. When she got back to her dorm, she was too keyed up to fall asleep,and  she made herself come while thinking of Gabe’s strong hands on her body. 

The next day at lunch, Katrina had the feeling she was being stared at while going over notes with Gabriel, but every time she looked up all she saw was Philippa, looking completely bored and definitely not like she had been intently scrutinizing her two friends. She eventually caught the slightest hint of a smirk from Pippa, after making evening plans with Gabriel to continue their sparring drills. Kat strongly suspected meddling on the part of her friend, but kept her mouth shut out of gratitude. 

Upon arriving at the gym later that evening, Kat felt a quiet thrill of anticipation that only grew when she glimpsed Gabriel going through warm ups on the other side of the room. He looked over and caught her staring at him, a slow grin spreading across his face. She tried to hide her embarrassment as she waved at him and head over the area he had set up for practice.   


“Would you like to work on throws today? I know you’ve learned them in class, but they are tricky without a lot of practice. They look pretty intimidating, but just like the sparring we did yesterday, they get easier once you are familiar with the physics of it.” He must have known she had been specifically avoiding practicing throws and could read the discomfort on her face. His words were somewhat reassuring, but she still felt uneasy as she went through her warm ups. 

“We will go through everything in slow motion, breaking down each move. Does that sound ok?” 

“Yes, but I also wouldn’t mind going through everything as quickly as possible to get it over with.” She stood in front of him, nervously shifting her weight from one foot to the other. She tried not to think about the fact that throws would involve more physical contact than what they had done the night before. 

“You won’t learn anything that way and might end up getting hurt, it’s better to go slow.” It occurred to her that the same sentiment applied to relationships, psychotherapy and cooking a really good beef bourguignon, but she kept her mouth shut and nodded in response.

She activated the concussion-guard around her head and stood in front of him, sizing him up. He gestured for her to go first and she woodenly worked her way through opening moves of the throw. For his part, Gabriel responded to each move and wound up on his back on the floor, even though she put very little force into her actions.

He looked up at her from the floor. “See, that’s how you do it. Not that bad, right?” Seeing him sprawled out on the floor and smiling up at her made her stomach do a little flip.

“I don’t think most of my opponents will be quite that easy to take down.” 

“They won’t be, which is why we keep practicing. Let’s do that again, but this time I’ll put up more resistance.” 

True to his word, she had to put more force into her moves as they walked through the throw. He landed effortlessly, then jumped up to his feet, ready to go again. Each time they ran through the moves, he hit the mat with a little more force and she felt a little more confident in her abilities. When it was her turn to be the one thrown her anxiety quickly rose back up and it must have shown on her face because Gabriel looked concerned. 

“Just breathe, Kat. You can do this. It’s all about knowing how to fall without hurting yourself. We will go through step by step, just like before.”

He was true to his word, supporting her weight as he expertly flipped her over his shoulder and guided her down to the mat. She didn’t feel the helplessness she normally associated with falling, instead it felt exhilarating. 

“That was...actually really fun,” She admitted.

“Good! Let’s do it again.” He offered his hand to help her stand up and she took it, even though she didn’t need it. The touch of his hand gave her butterflies and she was reluctant to drop it once she got to her feet. She got into fighting stance and charged at him again, letting herself react without thinking as he countered her move and use his weight to guide her to the floor, a little less gently this time. 

“Good, again!” 

This time, as he helped her up, the force of his pull landed her right against him and she felt the heat rise in her face as she stepped back. A quick glance at him showed a similar heated look on his face and it sent a thrill up her spine. It occurred to her that the exhilaration she felt from their sparring was akin to foreplay, and she wondered if he felt the same way. 

She decided to test this theory, and after the next throw landed her on her back she smiled slyly up at him.

“Isn’t it possible to perform a leg throw while prone?”

“It is. Do you want to try--ooof.” She used her right leg to sweep his while he was off balance and he toppled over, landing on top of her. For a second he just stared at her and she stared back, very conscious of his weight on top of her. Then he realized he was crushing her and rolled off to lie on his back, breathing heavily. 

“Not fair, Kat.”

“Most opponents don’t fight fair, shouldn't I be ready for that?” He smiled at that and shook his head.

“You never cease to surprise and delight me, did you know that?” She grinned and rolled to her side, facing him in what she hoped was a sexy pose, despite the sweat and disheveled hair. 

“How do I surprise and delight you, Gabriel?” He was silent for a few moments and his gaze felt heavy, along with the tension growing between them. She wanted to move closer but was waiting for him make a move.

“I just never know what you are going to do next. One minute we’re sparring and the next I’m on back with you looking at me like that.”

“Like what?” she asked, voice low. 

He paused for a moment. “Like you want to eat me up.” She drew in a sharp breath at that and stared back, feeling the rising heat steadily fill her. “Do you want to eat me up, Kat?” 

She nodded slowly, transfixed by his steady blue gaze. He reached out his hand and she grasped it, hungry for his touch. He rolled up onto his side, facing her with scant centimeters between them. She dipped her head forward, meeting his lips carefully. His eager response had her deepening the kiss and savoring the heady rush it brought. Heat pooled below her belly as his tongue met hers, gently first, then claiming her mouth with the same vigor he had shown in their sparring. 

“Wow,” she breathed as she reluctantly pulled back. He was momentarily speechless, panting gently. He rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes, taking a few slow breaths.

“Kat, you have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that,” he murmured.  “There are… so many things I want to do with you, and it’s all I’ve been able to think about for days now.”

“What sorts of things do you want to do with me?” she asked teasingly before dipping in to taste his lips again. 

He grinned at her. “The sorts of things that will definitely get us kicked out of the gym if we keep going any longer.” She surreptitiously moved her hand down to rest on the noticeable bulge he was making no effort to conceal and he breathed in sharply at the contact. “Keep that up and we’ll be banned for life,” he moaned softly as she gently stroked him. 

“My room’s closer than yours and Phillippa is spending the night at Afsaneh’s. It wouldn’t take us more than 10 minutes to walk there,” she whispered against his lips. “If you can even walk in your state,” she teased. She gave him one more light stroke before rolling away to gather up her gear, and he groaned in frustration while staring at with a mix of lust and awe. 

It ended up taking them exactly 7 minutes and 43 seconds to get to Kat’s dorm room, both of them racing through the night and not daring to even hold hands for fear of getting sidetracked. His lips were on hers as soon as the door shut behind them and she debated climbing him like a tree before dragging him to her bed instead. 

They didn’t waste any time in getting undressed, stripping out of their sweaty workout clothes and worshiping each others’ heated skin. She nibbled her way down his neck and lightly nipped his collar bones, raising goosebumps in her wake. Seeing how much he seemed to enjoy that, she ran her nails down his back, making him draw in a breath and whimper. Encouraged by his response, she nipped harder, sinking her teeth into the sensitive spot at the base of his neck. He yelped in pain and she drew back for a moment, worried she’d hurt him or gone too far.

“No, don’t stop!” he insisted. “Please, keep doing that!” 

“Are you sure I’m not hurting you?”

“You are, but… I like it. I can’t explain why. But don’t stop, I’ll tell you when to stop.”

Katrina blinked slowly and nodded, then leaned in and bit him again, a little harder this time, drawing a pleased yelp from him. She had studied the human nervous system and knew intellectually that certain kinds of pain could bring a pleasurable rush of endorphins. She also knew from whispered conversations and smutty stories passed around amongst her friends that there were many ways to mix pleasure and pain, but she had no experience with it herself. She didn’t know how to do it safely or what to do, what Gabe would like. Then she remembered a key detail from those conversations and hoped it would help. 

“Before we go any further you need a safeword. If you need me to stop, you say this word and it all ends immediately.” 

Gabriel nodded. “Warp core breach.” 

“That’s three words! Do you really think you can say ‘warp core breach’ fast enough if you really need me to stop.”

“I don’t foresee ever needing you to stop,” he insisted jauntily, “but I’m pretty sure you would stop before I got past ‘warp’, so I’m not worried.”

She rolled her eyes at his cavalier attitude, but was happy to continue where she left off. She kissed and ran her tongue over the spot she’d bitten, and he sighed happily. She continued to lick her way down his chest, stopping to lightly bite his nipple. He shivered at that, so she bit down a little harder. He practically vibrated in response, and it gave her a rush to see how much pleasure she could give him. 

She lightly pushed him down and he followed her lead, lying down so she could straddle him. His cock was deliciously hard and she ground against him, her clit grazing him and making her groan. She let herself revel in the pleasure of watching him gazing up at her with lust and submission in his eyes.

“Give me your hands,” she growled at him and he immediately complied. She placed his hands over his head, then leaned in to kiss him deeply. 

“Keep them there until I say you can move them. Ok?” He nodded enthusiastically and she smiled. She rubbed her wetness against his cock again and he shook with the effort of keeping his hands still. 

“You are so gorgeous, Gabriel, I love the way you submit to me so enthusiastically,” she cooed in his ear. “I’d really love to fuck you now, would you like that?” He nodded vigorously.

“I need you to say it.”

“Please, Kat. Please fuck me, I need you to fuck me --Oh yesss.” She slid onto him before he could finish his sentence and her eyes practically rolled back in her head with how good he felt inside her. She began to move her hips and he bucked up into her, meeting each thrust with a soft moan. She leaned over to brush his lips with hers, and grabbed his hands, still held in place by her command. She moved them to her hips and he instinctively took over, grasping her with enough force to leave bruises.

“Yes, just like that,” she moaned. “Oh fuck, Gabriel, you feel amazing.”

Gabriel moaned and bit his lip. “Do you want me to take charge now, Kat?” He emphasised his point with a particularly hard thrust that nearly made her come. She could feel her impending orgasm on the horizon and she moved against him roughly, chasing the pleasure, but he held back.

“I think you might like that, submitting to me and letting me control your pleasure.” His voice was rough with desire and he looked up at her with heavy lidded eyes. Then he got a dreamy look on his face. “I can tell you right now, it feels amazing.” After a moment, she nodded.

“What’s your safeword?”

“Serotonin,” she blurted out, not sure why it was the first word to come to mind.

“That’s very you and it’s perfect. Are you ready?”

“Yes! Whatever it is you are going to do, please--” Before she could finish her sentence, he had flipped them both over, still inside of her, and hooked her legs around his back. He began to thrust into her and at this angle, he hit a spot with each thrust that had her moaning. As she did to him, he now took both of her hands and placed them over her head. Instead of letting go, he kept her hands in his grasp, holding them down as he thrust into her. The sudden feeling of helplessness hit her and it was thrilling. 

“Do you like that, Kat?” he whispered in her ear. Words weren’t cooperating with her so she made a noise of agreement that suddenly went high pitched half-way through in response to a particularly skillful thrust. 

“The way you’ve been eyeing me for weeks,” he growled in her ear. “The way you put all of your force into sparring with me, giving as good as you got. I knew you would be incredible but  _ fuck _ , I had no idea just how much. You are like a force of nature, my own personal goddess.” His words of praise sent a thrill straight to her core, though she had no idea why, and she writhed helplessly under him. He must have been able to read it on her face because he had a sudden look of recognition.

“You like that don’t you, you gorgeous little perfectionist. You get off on praise, I can see it in your eyes.” She nodded, eyes wide. It felt like a door somewhere deep in her brain had been thrown open, and suddenly everything made perfect sense. He sat back, letting go of her hands but she kept them in place because it felt so right. 

“Well it’s a good thing you’re such a  _ good girl, _ ” he whisper-growled while reaching down to slide his thumb over her clit. His words collided with the added sensation and sent her screaming over the edge. She came harder than she could ever remember, the waves of pleasure practically mowing her down. She was vaguely aware of his thrusts speeding up and moving erratically until he stiffened with a low moan. 

She gently ran her hands along his back until his muscles slackened and all of his weight briefly pressed against her. He quickly rolled off her, then gathered her in his arms. They lay together without speaking, letting their breath slow and langor fill their limbs. She had nearly drifted off to sleep when he pressed a kiss against her forehead and she opened her eyes to see him smiling tenderly at her.

“I’ve never experienced anything quite like that, Kat. Right now I feel like I’m on a completely different plane of existence.”

“I know exactly what you mean,” she said while sighing happily. “I’m so glad Pippa manipulated us into doing sparring practice together.” 

He chuckled at that and tightened his arms around her. “Not only did you get amazing sex out of it, but your hand-to-hand combat technique has improved immensely,” he teased. She smiled in agreement and snuggled into his embrace, reminding herself to properly thank Philippa when she got the chance.

A few hours later, Philippa softly tiptoed into the dorm room she shared with Katrina, trying to avoid waking her friend. Once her eyes adjusted to the dimness, she was greeted by the sight of Kat and Gabriel, spooned together in the narrow bed. They were both were quite naked and sleeping soundly, sheets tangled around them, their discarded clothes marking a trail from the doorway to the bed.

Philippa grinned and did a little fist pump of triumph, thrilled that her plan had worked so well. She quietly grabbed a few changes of clothes and her class notes, planning to stay away for a few days to give the lovebirds some alone time. She sent a quick message to Afsaneh, hinting at good news, and quietly shut the door behind her. 


End file.
